BICOM

Thousands of Israelis rallied in Tel Aviv last night to support residents of southern Israel, who have lived under rocket fire for years.

The rally, allowed due to the ceasefire, was focused on calling for an end to the rockets which have blighted the lives of residents of southern Israel for a decade. It was politically mixed, with some speakers and banners calling for a peace agreement while other supported tougher military steps.

Sderot Mayor Alon Davidi told the crowd that the South won’t accept the lower-intensity “drizzle” of rockets and mortars that continue year-round, forcing the residents into shelters.

Eshkol Regional Council head Haim Yalin said: “A sovereign state must protect the safety of its residents, even those who live in the periphery. A country can’t allow terrorism to disrupt the lives of its residents. Today we stand here together, saying ‘no more.’ The rockets and the terror threats against our communities must stop.”

Teenage residents of the border towns spoke about their lives, with some unable to remember a life without Red Alert rocket sirens and running to bomb shelters.

Before the rally, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also met with the mayors of southern towns yesterday. He assured them that he sought an end to the rockets, and that if the Cairo talks failed to bring an end to rocket fire then the military operation would continue.